Spring assembly for upholstery



Feb. 24, 1931. A SUEKOFF 3 793 724 7 SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR UPHOLSTERYFiled Dec. 24, 1930 Patented Feb. 24, '1931 Marshall patent type.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS A. sunxorr, or WILMETTE, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR T0 NACHMA-N spams-FILLED CORPORATION, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION or ILLINOIS SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR UPHOLS'I'ERY Applicationfiled December 24, 1930. Serial ,No. 5Q4,593.

This invention relates toimprovements in spring assemblies forupholstery and more particularly to that type of spring assem blies ofthis general class wherein the individual component springs are firsthoused in fabric casings or articulate series of fabric casings,frequently referred to as the In this type of spring assembly, aplurality of rows of articulate casings which house purely helicalsprings and are closed at both ends, are arranged side by side to covera certain area, the casings being distended by the springs bothcircumferentially and longitudinally; the latter, because the casingsare appreciably shorter than the length of thc fully expanded springs.These rows of cas ings are then joined by hand stitching or tie stringsto maintain them in predetermined relative positions, thus completing anassembly which is subsequently incorporated into a cushion in anysuitable manner.

' Assemblies so made are subject to the objection that the springsthereof are easily crowded together into overlapping position andfrequently become permanently displaced with respect to eachother orthat the thin light fabric of which the casings'are made is therebysubjected to excessive strains, stresses and wear and that the life ofthe assembly is thereby correspondingly shortened.

The main object ofthe present lnvention is, therefore, to provide aspring assembly panying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a 'springas'sembly constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, fragmentary vertical sections of thesame on an; enlarged scale on the lines 2-2 and 3--3, re-

. spectively, of Fig. 1.

In said drawmgs, there are shown an outer articulaterow ofspring-contaimng casings l of the conventional or so-called Mar shalltype, and several additional rows of slmilar elements 2, the rowofcasings 1 being preferably for the front edge portion. ofthe cushionand a similar row thereof being dis posed at the rear edge portion of acompleted cushion. a

The intermediate rows of casings2 are interposedbetween the aforesaidfront and rear rows of casings 1 and are secured to the latter and toeach other by means of the tie strings 3, each of whiph is passedthrough the top wall of a casing 1, around the end coil of the springcontained therein; through the circumferential walls ,'0f the casing land of the contiguous casing 2 at the meeting point of the said casings;-then through the top wall of the casing 2 and around the end coil ofthe spring contained therein; and is then knotted. The order of passageis immaterial and in accordance with common practice in the art.

- The now long free end-portion of the tiestring 3 then passes over thetop of said casmg 2, is passed through the top wall of the nextsucceeding casing 2; around the end coil of the spring in the latter;through the circumferential walls of the casings of the first and secondrows of the same; through the top wall of the casing 2 of the first rowthereof; and then over the top wall of the casing 2 of the second row tothe contiguous casing of the third row where the-operations abovedescribed are repeated, and so on until the last row'of casings lisattached or joined to the last row of casings 2. All ofthe tiestrings 3are similarly passed through the casings 1 and 2 on both faces of theassembly and the portions thereof passed through said casings and aroundthe end coils of the springs therein, constitute the loops 4.

The loops 4 joining contiguous casings 2 are not knotted and are,consequently, capable of slipping as thespringsand casings are crowdedtogether longitudinallyof said tiestrings 3, and thus tend to aid inpreventing the springs from overlapping appreciably and in allowing themto return to normalrelative positions;

The present mvention consists in interposing flexible, relatively thinspring wires between contiguous rows of the casings 1 and 2 adjacent thetop and bottom faces of the assembly, each of said wires 5 having eyesor loops 6 at its ends through which the loops 4 of the tie-strings arepassed as the loops 4 are formed in joining the springs at therespective ends of the several rows thereof, the length of said Wiresbeing equal to the length of a row of spring-casings less the diameterof one of said casings. Thus the eyes 6 of said wires 5 extend to themeeting points of contiguous casings 1 and 2, and 2 and 2, respectively,adjacent the side edges of the spring assembly.

The portions of the loops 4 of the tiestrings 3 that are .passed throughthe eyes 6 of the wires 5 are those which pass through thecircumferential portions of the springcasings 1 and 2, and thus the saidwires 5 are disposed below the level of the top walls and above thelevel of the bottom walls of the casings l and 2.

The loops 4 of the tie-strings 3 joining contiguous spring-casingsdisposed between or inwardly of those casings which constitute the sideedge portions of the assembly, are also preferably passed around thewires 5 at some points, at least, between the ends of said wires,thereby to prevent undue bowing of the same under the influence ofpressures exerted against the ends of the same.

The said wires 5 are thus firmly but not rigidly associated with the endcoils of the springs in the casings 1 and 2 and, because of theirflexibility, will yield to loads on the assembly and to lateralpressures exerted against the front, rear, and side edges of theassembly and permit limited overlap of the end coils of springs incontiguous casings or, in other words, permit but resist a limitedrelative lateral movement of the springs of the assembly and serve toprevent all perma ncnt displacement of springs.

lVhile it is preferable to dispose the wires 5 parallel with the frontand rear edges of the assembly, this is not essential.

As shown in Fig. 3, the wires 5. when dis posed within all of the loops4 of the tiestrings 3. become disposed just below the point of abutmentof the end coils of springs of contiguous casings against each other,the intervening fabric preventing direct contact of said end coils. and(o-operate with the. loops 4 to maintain this relation of said endcoils, so that a very appreciable lateral pressure upon the front andrear edge portions of the assembly is required to cause said contiguousend coils to spring into overlapping position. The stitch-chains 7interposed between contiguous casings 1 and 2 of each row thereofparallel with the wires afiord appreciable protection against overlap ofthe end coils of the springs responsively to pressures exerted againstthe side edge portions of the assembly but, as such overlap involves adecrease in the length of each of said rows, the wires 5 serve toprevent, substantially and positively, any appreciable lateralcontraction of the assembly, as will be obvious.

A very appreciable advantage of the structure of this invention residesin the saving of labor incident to extending a set of tiestringstransversely to the tie-strings 3 for joining the end coils of thesprings of each row of casings 1. and 2, it being obvious that the laborof introducing the tie-strings 3, as shown, is substantially coincidentwith that of incorporating the wires 5 into the structure. This economyof labor is very appreciable and, in view of the very keen competitionin this art, is of major importance.

Obviously, the wires 5 are kept out of (H rect contact with the springsof the structure and the latter are kept out of contact with each other,thus rendering the whole assembly noiseless.

iVhile Wires are specified in the foregoing specification as thecheapest and best adapted means for the purposes set .forth, it will beunderstood, of course, that any equivalent means may be used in place ofsaid Wires.

I claim as my invention:

1'. A spring assembly comprising sets of articulate spring-filled fabriccasings disposed side by side, straight resilient wires having eyeformations at their ends interposed between contiguous sets of saidcasings adjacent to the top and bottom walls thereof, and cord loopspassing through and joining contiguous corner portions of contiguouscasings and contiguous sets thereof and about the end coils of springscontained therein, and about the said wires and through the eyesthereof, respectively, thereby to join contiguous rows of said casingsand associate the springs thereof with each other and said wires.

2. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of sets of articulatecasings containing springs, said sets of casings being disposed side bvside. resilient substantially straight wires interposed betweencontiguous sets of said casings parallel with the top and bottom wallsthereof. and cords joining the easings of each of said sets with thecasings of contiguous sets and engaged with the springs within saidcasings and with said wires. the latter equipped with formations engagedwith said cords for preventing rela tive longitudinal movement of saidwires and said sets of casings.

3. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of rows of spring-filledfabric casings disposed parallel with each other, the casings of each ofsaid rows being connected with each other intermediate the top andbottom walls of the several component casings of each row, tie-stringsextending transversely of the rows of said casings and over the top andbottom walls thereof, respectively, and substantially diametrically ofthe said casings, sald tiestrings extending through upper cornerportions of said casings and about the end coils of springs at meetingpoints of contiguous casings in loop-formations at and between the endsof said tie-strings, and straight flexible wires having eye-fornmtionsat their ends disposed between contiguous rows of said casings andextending through loop-formations of said tie-strings, theeye-formations of said wires being engaged in the loop-formations offthetie-strings engaged with the casings at the respective ends of saidseveral rows.

4. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of rows ofspring-filled-fabric spring casings, disposed side by side, resilientfieX-' ible spacing Wires disposed between contiguous, rows of saidcasings adjacent the top and bottom wallsof the latter, eye-formationsat the extremities of said Wires, tiestrings extending transversely ofthesaid rows of casings over the top and bottom Walls thereof and inloop-formations through corner portions of contiguous casings at pointsof contact thereof and about the end coils of springs contained in saidcasings, the said loop-formations of the tie-strings for the severalcasings at the respective ends of the several rows thereof passingthrough the eyeformations of said Wires for securing, the

v latter in place.

.5. A spring assembly comprising a plurality of rows of spring-filledfabric spring casings, disposed sideby side, resilient flexible spacingwires disposed between contiguous rows of sald casings adJacent the topand bottom walls of the latter, eye-formations at the extremities ofsaid Wires, tiestrings extending transversely of the said rows ofcasings over the top and bottom walls thereof and in loop-formationsthrough corner portions of contiguous casings at 'points of contactthereof and about the end coils of springs contained in said casings,the said loop-formations of the tie-strings for the several casings atthe respective ends of the several rows thereof passing through theeye-formations of said Wires for securing the latter in place, thebody-portions of said wires passing through at least some of theloop-formations of the remaining tie-strings.-

6. A spring assembly comprising a plu-- rality of sets of conventionalarticulate fab-' ric spring-filled casings disposed side by side withthe end coils of their contained ,springs substantially normallydisposed in abutting relation to each other at the meeting points of thecasings of contiguous sets,

spacing wires terminating in eye-formations at their ends interposedbetween contiguous sets of said casings adjacent the top and bottomwalls of the same, and tie-strings for coupling the several sets of saidcasings and extending laterally of the same and sub- LOO c slid

